Jon Couture: Not much buzz for Red Sox

You may have missed it, but it's been a busy couple weeks at Fenway Park. Couple press conferences. A company turned the place into a 3-mile obstacle course for a weekend. On Friday, they'll debut a winter-themed light show on the Green Monster, leading into Saturday's annual "Christmas at Fenway."

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By JON COUTURE

southcoasttoday.com

By JON COUTURE

Posted Nov. 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM

By JON COUTURE

Posted Nov. 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

You may have missed it, but it's been a busy couple weeks at Fenway Park. Couple press conferences. A company turned the place into a 3-mile obstacle course for a weekend. On Friday, they'll debut a winter-themed light show on the Green Monster, leading into Saturday's annual "Christmas at Fenway."

When announcing the last of those, better known as the start of ticket sales for next season, the team trumpeted "redsox.com has a faster system with shorter times in the virtual waiting room."

The shorter lines of people with their credit cards out should help, too.

We're three months removed from the supernova deal with the Dodgers, and the ensuing black hole imagery still works beyond just scientific accuracy. The Red Sox played out the string, fired a manager and traded for another. They shuffled the medical staff again.

Players? David Ortiz, a still-great DH, got a career-achievement-award contract. They added catching depth in David Ross. Nabbed Jonny Gomes in hopes of repeating what happened with their last "made for Fenway" corner outfielder.

If not fine moves, all non-fatal ones. But "» can we get to the "now what" soon? The Red Sox machine doesn't do sleep mode real well.

And at least to me, that's a lot of what gives this winter its most interesting spin.

When was the last time the Red Sox didn't feel a contender? Last season? I don't buy it: The 2011 Sox were no favorites, but they were the best team in the AL before an unfathomable September 2010. I think it takes a decade to really find one, coming off the derailment of late 2001.

The 2002 team isn't a perfect comparison — an in-his-prime Pedro Martinez would do wonders for everything — but it's pretty close. New manager, gutted staff, completely new worldview. That team ultimately went nowhere, but it was hardly forgettable, opening 40-17 and putting seven in the All-Star Game.

If only these Sox appeared, like those, to be the second-best team in their division. Or even the second-worst.

And the stakes are pumped so much higher now.

The easy response is to be happy. A bad, boring team to drive away the "pink hats" and return Red Sox baseball to its roots. Finally, the diehards get their team back!

You'll pardon my lack of excitement, having watched the Sox sleepwalk through the end of last year. Anyone who wants that can have it — or didn't watch it, which wouldn't surprise given the post-trade ratings drop.

For so long, we heard how necessary ticket sales were to what the Red Sox have been able to do. How because of the smaller ballpark, any drop in attendance and interest could kill what the team is able (or willing) to spend. That makes competition harder. That makes ownership less attractive.

That puts everything on the table.

No one would question that interest is down, and the solution might not be close given the meager free-agent class, the lack of ready help in the farm system and just how good the rest of the division is getting.

(Of course, this has led a not insignificant percentage to suggest the Sox need to "make a big splash" and get "» somebody. I suppose I can't be surprised plenty of people have clamored for John Henry to sell the team, forgetting how bad the guy he replaced a decade ago was, if they've forgotten where splashes for splashes sake led them three months ago.)

Ultimately, we must turn to that thing that carried the Red Sox fan for decades: faith.

While it feels like Ben Cherington's moving in quicksand with this rebuild, he can't make the whole market move faster. The Winter Meetings aren't for another week, and the Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford double a couple years back wasn't done until the second week of December.

And the truth is this isn't going to be a one-winter fix. Cherington's early steps show a definite push to rebuild the clubhouse with quality guys — as much a part of the problem the past two years as injuries were. When he said a couple weeks back that the Sox will end up "among the larger payrolls in the game" next season, I suspect that's as much his pragmatism as a promise about a big move. Boston needs a first baseman, pitching help and corner outfielders. Those aren't cheap.

Yet given how proactive other portions of the front office have been about giving the people something to rally around, we have to wonder how pragmatic these guys will really let Cherington be. The franchise put in place by this ownership group is one where good baseball and fan pandering are both part of the puzzle.

Right now, the Red Sox have neither. And the clock just keeps on ticking.

Jon Couture covers the Red Sox for The Standard-Times. Contact him at jon.couture@bostonherald.com, or through 'Better Red Than Dead' at Blogs.SouthCoastToday.com/red-sox/